December 2009 The Henry Leck Video was very helpful in knowing what boys are capable of achieving in a choral setting. There were many helpful activities that I plan on using from that video. If they sing through their voice change, they are able to navigate through their break more easily. If they stop singing while that voice change is happening, it is much more difficult to know how to manage that shift. My middle school students have written down their individual ranges and are excited when they have a new note in their range. This allows my students can document their own changes, which helps me choose repertoire more appropriately for my students’ voices. This will greatly help in choosing the Spring Concert repertoire.
February 2010 I have been very successful in helping my high school male students in achieving a resonant sound. Instead of having myself imitate the sound I would like, I have other male students give examples of a vowel shape or a tone that I am looking for. This works exceptionally well with the 9th grade boys who are still going through the voice change. Often, when I sing a tenor pitch in their octave, the tenors will sing the octave below what is written. This doesn’t happen when I have a male imitate the sound I am looking for.
May/ 2010 The Forest Park Middle School Spring Concert was successful because I was able to choose repertoire that fit my male changing voices. I would like to allow my male students the opportunity to sing in their treble range through 7th and 8th grade, and have that as an acceptable practice with their peers.
Revision: (if needed) Objective 4, Activity #3: Change the Reading and reflection from The Cambiata Concept by Don Collins to Chapter 7 of Creating Artistry Through Choral Excellence: Henry Leck
Objective 4, Activity #4: Change Workshops on Adolescent Changing Voice to Harmony University, August 2010
Reflection (Year 3)
August/ 2010 Harmony University was very helpful to my development as a teacher of male singers. I have a lot of repertoire ideas for my students for this year and a lot more tools to help me accomplish those goals.
January 2011 The male choir retreat was a success. It will help keep my male enrollment up next year, which is half the battle!
June/ 2011- The Forest Park Middle School spring concert had two part, SAB or Three Part Mixed music for my 7th graders and SATB music for my 8th graders. I was able to choose repertoire that appealed to the students and also had parts that fit their ranges. The 8th grade male singers could either sing the tenor or bass part. I was able to rewrite and highlight the changing parts for them so that they could know which notes to sing, according to the notes that they are able to hit on that particular day, week, month, etc.
Revisions: Change Objective 3, Activity 2 from the iMovie recording to an Audio recording of a variety of students voices counting down from 10 to 1. Countdown activity determining Soprano, Alto, Tenor, or Bass male voice. To be completed November 2011.
Reflection (Year 4)
August 2011 This first summer of graduate school has allowed me to have more rehearsal strategies and repertoire choices for the changing male voice. I have collaborated with other music educators who have had success in a lot of middle school repertoire.
I have a two male singers in 8th grade that DO NOT MAKE A SOUND. Their voices have changed over the summer! We are working so that they can feel confident in their voices again. I have been choosing a lot of repertoire that will allow them to feel secure in their voices. There will be a lot of re-writing parts this year.
December 2011 In this final stage of licensure, I need to find out ways to reach the boys who drop choir because they are not feeling successful in singing. I have been working with others in my district to come up with solutions for maintaining and attracting male singers to the choral program.
December 2011 My high school male singers have been working on their transition from their head voice to their chest voice. A 5 note descending pattern from C5 (C above middle C) At the beginning of the school year, some of my 9th graders were struggling with that upper octave. By this time of year, they know how to sing in their head voice and can transition easily into their mixed voice and their chest voice. This helps greatly when students encounter this transition in choral repertoire.
Reflection (Year 2)
December 2009
The Henry Leck Video was very helpful in knowing what boys are capable of achieving in a choral setting. There were many helpful activities that I plan on using from that video. If they sing through their voice change, they are able to navigate through their break more easily. If they stop singing while that voice change is happening, it is much more difficult to know how to manage that shift.
My middle school students have written down their individual ranges and are excited when they have a new note in their range. This allows my students can document their own changes, which helps me choose repertoire more appropriately for my students’ voices. This will greatly help in choosing the Spring Concert repertoire.
February 2010
I have been very successful in helping my high school male students in achieving a resonant sound. Instead of having myself imitate the sound I would like, I have other male students give examples of a vowel shape or a tone that I am looking for. This works exceptionally well with the 9th grade boys who are still going through the voice change. Often, when I sing a tenor pitch in their octave, the tenors will sing the octave below what is written. This doesn’t happen when I have a male imitate the sound I am looking for.
May/ 2010
The Forest Park Middle School Spring Concert was successful because I was able to choose repertoire that fit my male changing voices. I would like to allow my male students the opportunity to sing in their treble range through 7th and 8th grade, and have that as an acceptable practice with their peers.
Revision: (if needed)
Objective 4, Activity #3: Change the Reading and reflection from The Cambiata Concept by Don Collins to Chapter 7 of Creating Artistry Through Choral Excellence: Henry Leck
Objective 4, Activity #4: Change Workshops on Adolescent Changing Voice to Harmony University, August 2010
Reflection (Year 3)
August/ 2010
Harmony University was very helpful to my development as a teacher of male singers. I have a lot of repertoire ideas for my students for this year and a lot more tools to help me accomplish those goals.
January 2011
The male choir retreat was a success. It will help keep my male enrollment up next year, which is half the battle!
June/ 2011- The Forest Park Middle School spring concert had two part, SAB or Three Part Mixed music for my 7th graders and SATB music for my 8th graders. I was able to choose repertoire that appealed to the students and also had parts that fit their ranges. The 8th grade male singers could either sing the tenor or bass part. I was able to rewrite and highlight the changing parts for them so that they could know which notes to sing, according to the notes that they are able to hit on that particular day, week, month, etc.
Revisions: Change Objective 3, Activity 2 from the iMovie recording to an Audio recording of a variety of students voices counting down from 10 to 1. Countdown activity determining Soprano, Alto, Tenor, or Bass male voice. To be completed November 2011.
Reflection (Year 4)
August 2011
This first summer of graduate school has allowed me to have more rehearsal strategies and repertoire choices for the changing male voice. I have collaborated with other music educators who have had success in a lot of middle school repertoire.
I have a two male singers in 8th grade that DO NOT MAKE A SOUND. Their voices have changed over the summer! We are working so that they can feel confident in their voices again. I have been choosing a lot of repertoire that will allow them to feel secure in their voices. There will be a lot of re-writing parts this year.
December 2011
In this final stage of licensure, I need to find out ways to reach the boys who drop choir because they are not feeling successful in singing. I have been working with others in my district to come up with solutions for maintaining and attracting male singers to the choral program.
December 2011
My high school male singers have been working on their transition from their head voice to their chest voice. A 5 note descending pattern from C5 (C above middle C) At the beginning of the school year, some of my 9th graders were struggling with that upper octave. By this time of year, they know how to sing in their head voice and can transition easily into their mixed voice and their chest voice. This helps greatly when students encounter this transition in choral repertoire.